7. Dormitories
Charlie pushed open the door and was met with the sight of yet another pentagonal room, with five hammocks slung along the walls.
The hammocks were cream-white, with a purple pillow and duvet balancing precariously on each one. The walls were a deep shade of red, and the floor was soft white carpet. Charlie glanced down at his muddy, blackened shoes and decided immediately to take them off. He pulled his feet out and clutched the shoes in one hand, letting his feet feel the silky softness of the carpet through the holes in his socks.
To the left, a mahogany door was ajar. Through it, Charlie perceived a bathroom, all non-dulled titanium. The light inside glanced off the many surfaces, blinding him, He scrunched his eyes shut and looked away.
Floating peacefully near the ceiling of the main room, a yellow orb cast a warm light around the pentagon.
Charlie had half hoped it would be empty, but it was not so. Two boys were already in the dormitory, one lying languidly on a hammock, one sitting cross legged on the floor. They had been chatting, but had fallen silent as Charlie, Peter and Jason entered the room. Their eyes followed the newcomers as they entered the room. They weren't hostile eyes, for sure. Just curious, appraising them as they stood in the door way, their clothes now looking painfully dirty compared to the cleanliness of the room.
“Hi.” said Charlie, a little nervously. He raised his hand in greeting.
“Hi.” The boys eyed them cautiously, then seemed to decide it was ok and that Charlie, Peter and Jason were alright, and safe to approach.
One was short with dark hair that needed a brush: it was sticking up at odd angles and flapped as he walked. He had bright green eyes and was grinning now in a friendly way. His nose was pointed and he had a certain glint in his eye that suggested to Charlie that there was an element of mischief to him.
The other was slightly taller with blonde hair that was flicked to the side. Freckles dotted his face and his brown eyes were open, but there was also something there that told Charlie that he wasn’t exactly innocent. His hair was neat and carefully combed, not a single strand out of place. In fact, his whole image was very well presented. Charlie did not have to guess as to who kept the room so clean.
“I'm Joshua Mason.” The blond boy introduced himself, holding out hand in a very polite way. Charlie shook it, slightly taken aback by the manners.
“I'm Hamish Wintersbury.” The boy with the dark hair grinned. He inclined his head as he spoke, and the clump of sticking up hair flapped happily.
Each naming themselves in turn, Charlie, Peter and Jason acquainted themselves with Joshua and Hamish. Now that the ice had been broken a little, they had all relaxed and began to talk rather cheerfully.
“When did you start here?” asked Peter.
“I started when I was thirteen.” Joshua shrugged. “There weren't very many people in my classes until this year, now there are thirty. I used to be on my own in here. I was so lonely, but at least it was clean.” He grinned and shot a meaningful glance at Hamish, who smiled innocently.
“It is clean.” He said.
“Only because I cleaned it.”
“I didn't make whatever mess you cleared up. Anyway, I started two days ago.” said Hamish cheerfully.
